US District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston on Friday paused a policy that would have required more than 5,000 Ethiopians to leave the country by February 13 or risk detention and removal, according toAljazeera. The decision halts the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopians, at least for now. Delivering his decision during a virtual hearing, Judge Murphy said the delay would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit records detailing how it reached the decision to end the protections, before he considers whether to block the policy on a longer-term basis.
“I want to do everything I can to keep this case going,” Murphy said. The case was filed by three Ethiopian nationals alongside the advocacy organisation African Communities Together, following a December announcement by DHS that it was ending TPS for Ethiopia. The protections were originally granted in 2022 due to instability in the country.
They also allege that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted out of an “unconstitutional animus against non-white immigrants.” The legal challenge comes as the US State Department continues to caution American citizens against travel to Ethiopia, citing sporadic violence, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, kidnappings and disruptions to communications. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
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